While Ford's much-discussed F-150 was thought to be a lock, General Motors has taken the Motor Trend Truck of the Year prize for its mid-sized Chevrolet Colorado. Too bad for Ford, but GM could use some good news this year anyway.

While it's not the largest offering in the segment, the Chevy Colorado out-performed other models in Motor Trend's judging categories.

"The Colorado to me is the perfect-size truck again," said Kim Reynolds, Motor Trend testing director. "Its simplicity and purity are what a truck ought to be about."

The process involves individually critiquing the trucks in six areas: "design advancement, engineering excellence, efficiency, safety, value and performance of its intended function," according to CNNMoney.

The magazine tested two versions of the Colorado: an extended cab work truck that costs $23,300 and a crew cab Z71 pickup starting at $36,210. Motor Trend editors found the Chevy to be solid value for the money; the Colorado pickups were the least expensive options among the competing trucks.

"Colorado is a smart, capable and refreshingly honest truck that makes a strong value and efficiency statement," Motor Trend Editor-in-Chief Ed Loh said in a statement. "It's perfectly sized and suited for the needs of many of today's truck users."

Ford's Transit full-size commercial van came in second place, while the newly aluminum-bodied F-150 took the No. 3 spot. Editors said that while the updated F-150 is innovative, its lighter shape didn't offer enough noticeable improvements to win.

The other trucks that competed for the annual award included the Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and Ford F-450 as well as the GMC Canyon midsize pickup, which is the Colorado's segment cousin. 

See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?